The Effect of an Occupational Therapy Role-Playing Intervention on the Social Skills of Adolescents With Asperger's Syndrome: A Pilot Study

Abstract

The purpose of the authors in this pilot study was to assess the effects of an occupational therapy role-playing intervention for adolescents with Asperger's syndrome. An ABA multiple baseline single-subject design across participants was used with three adolescents to determine if a six-week intervention could increase targeted social behaviors. Data were collected over baseline, intervention, and probe phases. Three methods of analysis were used: visual inspection of graphed data, paired t tests, and a three standard deviation-band approach. Findings demonstrated that all three participants were able to increase the frequency of targeted social skill use from baseline to intervention and maintain this level at a one month probe. Differences between baseline and intervention phases for each participant reached statistical significance. Through this study the authors offer preliminary evidence that an occupational therapy role-playing intervention that is both client centered and graded can increase targeted social skill use in three adolescents with Asperger's syndrome.

KEYWORDS:

• program effectiveness
• occupational therapy
• social interaction

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors acknowledge the following occupational therapy students who provided intervention: Corey Bralower, Jacqueline Forshaw, Maggie McNiece, Nicole Pileggi, Ghazala Saleem, and Emma Spitzer. The authors thank school administrators Vishu Grover and Sandra Cox. Additionally, they express thanks to Dr. Mariana D'Amico and Dr. Ernestine Pantel for statistical guidance.